The prime minister has been challenged by colleagues and Hollywood stars alike over controversial laws that could drive a prehistoric species to extinction.
Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson confronted Anthony Albanese on Wednesday as the prime minister basked in the afterglow of his government's budget during the morning TV rounds.
With a towel slung over his shoulder and a breakfast wrap in hand, the Tasmanian senator spotted Mr Albanese on his way from the gym and felt a decade of anger boil over.
"I told him they were a pack of mongrels," Senator Whish-Wilson told AAP.
He shouted at the prime minister and before security guards ushered him away, but Senator Whish-Wilson has no regrets.
"I'm pretty bloody angry about this, it's the lowest thing I've seen in my 14 years as a senator," he said.
"I would regret it more in my life if I didn't tell the prime minister what I thought and give him an earful - which he bloody well deserves."
Hours before the budget, and weeks out from an election, the federal government on Tuesday introduced a bill that could water down Australia's main nature laws by removing the environment minister's ability to revoke some past decisions.
The reforms are aimed at preserving the Tasmanian salmon industry in Macquarie Harbour, where approvals have been under review by the environment minister since a 2023 challenge from conservationists.
Intensive fish farming in this area has caused oxygen levels to plummet, posing an existential threat to the Maugean skate, an ancient species of fish that is only found in two estuaries on Tasmania's west coast.
If passed, the bill would prevent the minister from changing a decade-old decision, allowing salmon farming to continue in the electorate of Braddon, held by retiring Liberal MP Gavin Pearce on an eight per cent margin.
Senator Whish-Wilson has been advocating for the skate for more than 10 years and said preventing future extinctions was important to Tasmanians.
"We've lost the Tasmanian tiger - that's still a source of shame for us - and we've got a number of other species on the edge of extinction," he said.
Though many crossbenchers are also staunchly opposed to this bill, it is expected to pass both chambers on Wednesday due to support from the opposition.
Hollywood movie star Leonardo DiCaprio has also urged the federal government to shut down its salmon farms in a social media post.
"This shallow estuary off the Tasmania cost is one of the most important places in the world," he said.
"Help save the Maugean skate."
But Labor maintains the bill is necessary is necessary to protect Macquarie Harbour's salmon farming industry, which provides full-time jobs for about 120 people according to Salmon Tasmania.
"The blame game, which is singling out the industry and the communities whose livelihood depends on the industry, will not guide my actions, nor will it guide the actions of this Labor government," Labor senator Anne Urquhart told the chamber.
The federal government also committed $28 million to improve oxygenation in the harbour, fund a captive breeding program and monitor the population.
While the breeding program has had some success, Senator Whish-Wilson notes it does not recreate the scarcity of their wild habitat, meaning the skate may not be able to thrive outside of captivity.
Macquarie Harbour's skate levels have increased in recent years, but there is still some way to go before they return to pre-2009 levels, University of Tasmania research has found.
